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Campus Access and Security

NIH Gateway CenterRichard Barnes, NIH

The National Institutes of Health, like all Federal Government facilities, has instituted security measures to ensure the safety of our patients, employees, guests and facilities. Please visit the Department of Homeland Security National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) site to learn more about any current terrorist threat alerts for government and public entities that may impact NIH security.

All visitors must enter through the NIH Gateway Center. You will be asked to submit to a vehicle or personal inspection. Visitors over 15 years of age must provide a form of government-issued ID such as a driver's license or passport. Visitors under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.

Please be aware: Federal law prohibits the following items on Federal property: firearms, explosives, archery equipment, dangerous weapons, knives with blades over 2½ inches, alcoholic beverages and open containers of alcohol.

Read our list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to safety and security at the NIH, including information about pedestrian entrances, parking and general campus access.

NIH Gateway Center

Visitors will be required to show one (1) form of identification (a government-issued photo ID-driver's license, passport, green card, etc.) and to state the purpose of their visit.

The NIH Gateway Center is located adjacent to the Medical Center Metro Station at the South Drive entrance to campus from Rockville Pike / Wisconsin Avenue (Route 355). It combines visitor parking, non-commercial vehicle inspection and visitor ID processing, all in one location. The NIH will process all visitors in vehicles or as pedestrians.

Patients and patient visitors should continue to enter campus at the West Drive/Cedar Lane entrance during the hours of 6am–10pm, 7 days a week.

REAL ID

The REAL ID Act prohibits federal agencies from accepting for official purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards issued by states that do not meet the law’s standards for secure issuance and production. While American Samoa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, and Washington currently do not comply and do not have an extension from DHS, NIH is currently accepting driver’s licenses from these states and territory. This may change based on the Office of General Council’s (OGC) interpretation of the law.

On October 13, 2015, DHS implemented Phase 3 of the Act, which applies the REAL ID act to all federal facilities “except those providing healthcare, federally protected benefits and participation in law enforcement functions.” The current NIH policy is to accept all driver’s licenses so that patients, invited speakers, and medical students are not turned away. The Office of Security and Emergency Response has asked OGC to determine REAL ID enforcement applicability for NIH.

For individuals arriving as pedestrians, the Gateway Center (Building 66) is capable of handling single individuals to large busloads of visitors, quickly and efficiently.

Vehicles

For visitors arriving in vehicles, on motorcycles or bicycles, the Gateway Vehicle Inspection Station (Building 66A), provides multiple inspection lanes and allows visitors to go through inspection and get a visitor badge in one centralized, efficient process. Vehicles enter the Gateway Center complex through "NIH Gateway Drive," just south of the intersection of South Drive and Rockville Pike. Vehicles that choose to bypass parking in MLP-11 will go through inspection and enter campus at Center Drive near the National Library of Medicine. (See Gateway Map)

Gateway Center Vehicle Inspection (Building 66A)

Hours of operation: Monday–Friday, 5am–10pm

After 10pm on weekdays, and on weekends and holidays, visitors in vehicles should enter via the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) – Building 67. The CVIF is located on Rockville Pike (Route 355) between the North Drive and Wilson Drive employee entrances. Visitors gain entry into the CVIF traveling southbound on Rockville Pike.

Taxies may enter campus via the Gateway Center Vehicle Inspection Center (or CVIF), and must use the CVIF when the Gateway Center Vehicle Inspection Center is closed.

The Gateway complex also includes MLP-11, a 342-space, multi-level underground parking garage. This visitor-only lot is the primary visitor parking for the NIH main campus. We strongly encourage all visitors to park in this garage as there will be limited visitor parking on campus, other than for patients and visitors to the Clinical Center. Vehicles parking in MLP-11 are outside of the perimeter security and will not go through vehicle inspection, reducing the amount of time it takes to get on campus.

The cost to park in MLP-11 is $2 per hour for the first three hours, $12 maximum for the entire day. This is the same rate currently charged for all visitor parking at the NIH.

Visitors parking in MLP-11 should proceed to the Gateway Center to get a visitor badge and either walk or take a shuttle bus to their destination.

MLP-11 Hours of Operation:

Monday–Friday:
6am–9pm (entrance)
6am–11pm (exit)

Saturday–Sunday:
Closed

When MLP-11 is closed, visitors can park in lots on the NIH main campus.

Vehicles left in the MLP-11 parking garage after 11pm on weekdays or during weekends are subject to ticketing and towing.

Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF)

Commercial vehicle deliveries must undergo security screening at the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF). It is located on Rockville Pike between North Drive and Wilson Drive and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (inbound traffic only).

Commercial food and catering delivery vehicles should enter via the CVIF. Food deliveries made in private vehicles without commercial signage may use either the CVIF or the Gateway Center.

Vendors and contractors with frequent official business at NIH can be issued special temporary IDs. You must provide an original letter on company letter head or a memo from your NIH Project Officer justifying your need for a temporary ID. The letter/memo must contain your full name and date of birth and must be presented in person with a valid photo ID at The NIH Guard Office Operations Branch (part of the NIH Police) located in 31/B4BE09 (Phone: 301-435-5095).

Special Information for Clinical Center Patients

Bicycles

Traffic Advisories

Tune your radios to AM1660 for further NIH traffic, parking and security advisories. For questions, please contact the ORS Information Line at orsinfo@mail.nih.gov or 301-594-6677, TTY 301-435-1908.

Visitor Parking and Transportation

Visitors must park in designated visitor parking lots. Patients may park 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the Clinical Center garage, P-1 level. Vehicles will be inspected prior to parking in underground or multi-level garages.

Campus Shuttle Schedule

The NIH Campus Shuttle is free of charge and runs daily, both on and around campus and from campus to various off-campus NIH buildings.

Shuttle schedule (for Blackberry)

The URL for BlackBerry devices is http://shuttle.nih.gov. This application is suitable for BlackBerry models 6710 and 6510. It is not suitable for models 850, 950, and 957 due to memory limitation. This feature requires that the BlackBerry subscriber has Wireless Internet access.

If you have questions, please contact Louise Davis. We will be glad to test other devices that you have. We will be glad to test other devices that you have.

Building Security

Due to the checking of IDs at the perimeter, employees and visitors will not be required to show their ID again to gain access to the majority of buildings on the NIH Bethesda campus during the normal business day. Employees and visitors should continue to wear their identification prominently at all times while on campus.

Guards will remain at certain buildings to address specific program requirements such as sensitive research and safety concerns. At building entrances where guards are posted:

Visitors may be required to log in, wear a visitors pass and have an employee escort them through the building.

Visitors may be required to pass through a metal detector and have bags, backpacks or purses inspected or x-rayed as they enter buildings.

Security staff will be looking for and confiscating any suspicious or potentially dangerous materials. U.S. Code prohibits bringing any dangerous weapons onto Federal property, including anything with a blade longer than 2 ½ inches. Meeting participants may want to leave extra bags or personal materials at their hotel to minimize the time needed for inspection

After-hours building access will require the use of an employee ID at electronic access card readers at building entrances and certain internal areas. Similar, appropriate security adjustments will be made at off-campus facilities. Employees are encouraged to be vigilant and report anyone using unauthorized entrances or suspicious activity to the NIH Police at 301-496-5685.